A dramatic last-minute goal from Caleb Yirenkyi propelled Ghana to a 1-0 victory against Panama, allowing them to share the top spot in Group L with England. Yirenkyi connected with a cross from Brandon Thomas-Asante during stoppage time, clinching a match with few significant scoring opportunities.
In the early stages, Cecilio Waterman tested Ghana’s goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi with a challenging shot in the second minute following a right-side cross, but this marked one of the rare chances in a tightly contested first half played under the rain in Toronto.
Panama controlled much of the first half, with Cristian Martínez seeing a penalty appeal dismissed as he pursued a long ball. Jiovany Ramos also squandered a chance, shooting high and wide after Ati-Zigi had made an acrobatic save that inadvertently set up the opportunity.
As the first half progressed, Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo shifted his position more centrally, finally influencing the game just before halftime with a through ball that led to Ghana’s initial attempt on goal—Marvin Senaya’s shot ultimately missed the target and endangered the corner flag instead of the net.
Ati-Zigi, who required medical attention toward the end of the first half, was substituted by Benjamin Asare at halftime. Ghana soon made their presence felt, with Jonas Adjetey directing a header directly at Panama’s goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
Martínez struggled to find the net soon after, and Ghana showed increased vigor in the second half. A crucial defensive intervention from Ramos denied Leicester’s Jordan Ayew a potential goal from close range.
Ramos then missed another opportunity by curling wide from the edge of the box, as the match opened up. An offside flag and Mosquera’s save denied Thomas-Asante a late winner, but he soon set up Yirenkyi for the decisive moment.
Panama’s head coach, Thomas Christiansen, described the defeat as “We deserved better. We have lessons to learn. At the World Cup, mistakes are expensive. “Now is not the time for regrets. We will not be timid against Croatia. We want to show that Panama is difficult to beat and we will fight until the last breath.” stating, “We deserved better. We have lessons to learn. At the World Cup, mistakes are expensive.”
He added, “Now is not the time for regrets. We will not be timid against Croatia. We want to show that Panama is difficult to beat and we will fight until the last breath.”
